It wasn’t easy managing a multi-million-dollar empire, but somebody had to fucking to it.
Chapter 2
Sienna~
I stared into the mirror and did not like what I saw.
My dirty-blonde hair looked lifeless, and my chocolate-brown eyes looked tired. And though my nursing scrubs weren’t flattering-in the least-my average frame did nothing to disguise how haggard I looked. If I’d had a rocking body, maybe no one would notice my sullen face, but alas, I had no rocking body to distract from my haggard looks. At five-foot-four, I had respectable B-cups and more of a subtle slope to my curves, rather than that Holy Grail hourglass figure we all wished for. At twenty-six, I wasn’t anything close to remarkable.
I only had two more hours on my twelve-hour shift, and then I was off for the next three days. I worked at Huntington Heights as an emergency room nurse and their rotation schedules were simple for the nurses; three days on, then three days off. It was a great hospital to work for and I’d been lucky to find this job when I had. Still, I always looked like a zombie’s death by the end of my third day on rotation. Emergency room work was not for the faint of heart.
I moved to Morgan City last year when my aunt, Cecilia Conti, had been diagnosed with acute kidney failure. Having raised me and my sister, Verona, after my parents had abandoned us to go…well, I didn’t know what the hell they’d gone off to do, I’d had no choice but to move here to take care of her. And even after she passed a few months ago, I found I liked Morgan City and had chosen to stay. By the time Aunt Cecilia had passed, I’d made new friends and had a job I really enjoyed. Nursing was always a hit or miss because most hospitals and doctors were about money, but Huntington Heights was one of the good ones.
Raised in Michigan, my sister still lived there. She was a fourth-grade teacher and absolutely loved her life. But with a husband and a daughter of her own, there was no way she could have moved to Morgan City to help Aunt Cecilia, no matter how guilty she had felt over the limited way she could help. So, as the single one with a career choice that was in need everywhere, I had been the one to move from Michigan to Morgan City. I had lived with Aunt Cecilia for about two months before I’d been able to secure my job at Huntington and find a decent apartment on the good side of town.
Now, while me and Verona were no strangers to the less fortunate side of life, we had worked hard to make Aunt Cecilia proud of us. As a single aunt/mom, Aunt Cecilia had sacrificed a lot to raise two children that weren’t her own. She had welcomed us with open arms, never resenting us for her brother abandoning us with her and we had done our best to show her our love and appreciation for all she’d done for us. Verona and I had kicked ass in high school and had put ourselves through college with Aunt Cecilia’s help. The day I had officially become a nurse and Verona had officially become a teacher had been the proud ones.
Verona had met her husband while in college, and a teacher as well, Curtis Swanson was perfect for my sister. They had a solid marriage and my niece, Mila, was the apple of their eye. I tried to visit them at least once a year, but it’s been a while. This past year, I spent all my spare time taking care of Aunt Cecilia and making sure Lester wasn’t buckling from the stress.
A year after I had graduated from nursing school four years ago, Aunt Cecilia had met a nice man online, Lester Carroll, and they had struck up an online relationship. And after a year of correspondence and visiting one another, Aunt Cecilia had made the move to Morgan City to be with him. Lester still lived in Morgan City and we still kept in touch. He’d taken Aunt Cecilia’s death just as hard as Verona and I had, and I still made it a point to check on him regularly.
Splashing some water on my face, I did my best to put some life back into my face, though I knew it was pointless. Nothing short of a million-dollar spa day could do that. However, a girl still had to try. I didn’t want to frighten any small children that may come into the ER.
After realizing this was the best it was going to get-meaning my face-I headed out of the women’s restroom and I ran smack dab into Ryan Trent, a fellow nurse. “Oh, crap.”
His strong arms grabbed me by my shoulders to steady me. “Shit, sorry, Sie,” he apologized. “I almost ran you down.”
I chuckled. “Not at all,” I said. “It was my fault for rushing.”
His hands fell back down to his sides, though I noticed how he squeezed my shoulders before doing so. “No problem,” he replied good-naturedly. “No casualties.”
I smiled “Well, I gotta get back to my station. Two more hours, and then I’m free for three days.” I shook my head. “Only insane people choose this profession, I swear.”
Ryan laughed. “Don’t I know it.” Then that look came into his eyes and I knew what was coming. “How about we get some drinks after our shifts are over? I’m on your twelve this week.” That meant he was on the same shift I’ve been on these past three days and he was going to be on the same shift when I started my next three-day rotation when I came back from my days off.
Ryan’s been asking me to have drinks with him for a while now. When he first asked me a couple of months ago, I thought it had been as friends or like a group thing, but when he had made it clear it’d be just the two of us, I had politely declined. While I didn’t care what other nurses did, I never dated co-workers. It had the potential of getting ugly and with people’s lives on the line, I couldn’t afford to be distracted by a relationship gone bad in the workplace.
And looking at Ryan, it really was a shame how dedicated I was to that one life choice. At six-foot, Ryan was very easy on the eyes. Sandy-blonde hair and soft blue eyes, he had that boyband-look about him. Very nice to look at and the man kept in shape. I’ve seen him change out of scrub tops many times as we were often covered with blood working in the ER, and I’ve seen the details he kept hidden underneath his clothes.
But even if I didn’t have my no-dating-co-workers rule, I was a monogamous-type of girl. While it wasn’t my place to judge how other people lived their lives, I wasn’t comfortable dating multiple men at the same time. Never mind that I didn’t have the time or energy for that kind of juggling act, I just preferred to keep things neat and easy. One man was neat and easy and more than enough for me.
Ryan had a reputation for dating his co-workers, and while I haven’t heard of any theatrical breakups or anything like that, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about working with a bunch of women who’ve had a taste of the man I was dating. While I didn’t need to feel special, I still didn’t want to feel like one of many.
There was also the fact that I started dating someone recently, and while I haven’t told anybody, I was seriously falling hard for the guy. And it was stupid, really. I kind of felt like expectant mothers who keep their pregnancy a secret the first trimester as not to jinx it.
I had been stranded on the side of the road, a flat tire ruining my day, and I’d had my truck open, so that I could change the tire. It had been a little past seven in the evening, but because I lived in one of the nicer parts of Morgan City, I hadn’t been too worried. With my salary and only myself to support, I’d been able to afford a nice apartment in a nice neighborhood.
But while I’d been ready to change my tire, a car had pulled up behind me and one of the most gorgeous men walking the planet had gotten out to help me. In a world where chivalry was on life support, it’d been a nice feeling to have someone help me. After the tire had been changed, he had asked me out on a date, and we’ve been seeing each other ever since.
However, I didn’t want to tell Ryan that. While I’ve made my stance on dating co-workers clear, I didn’t want to rub it in his face that I was seeing someone.
I softened my smile. “Honestly, Ryan, I’m pulling from my reserves right now. There’s no way I’m up for anything other than going home as soon as I clock out.”
He smiled back, expecting my answer. “Fine,” he conceded. “But we’re doing lunch on Monday.” Monday wasn’t really a Monday for us. Our Mondays were whatever day of the week
our shift started on. And lunch was fine. I wasn’t opposed to lunch as long as we weren’t alone.
I nodded. “I’ll send out the Ryan’s decree of mandatory lunch,” I teased.
He’d been expecting that, too. “Tell Elsie it’s her turn to pick where we go.”
Just then, the intercom blared over our heads, and with similar groans, we took off running. I was a trauma nurse and so was Ryan, but he specialized in pediatric trauma. If a child was brought into the ER, Ryan was usually the one they sought. He had a way with kids, and it showed.
I was assigned to whoever needed me like most of the other nurses in the ER. Sure, there were nice, neat little charts, and assignments, and organization, but we didn’t always abide by those charts and assignments. If someone was hemorrhaging in front of me, I wasn’t going to ignore them because they weren’t at my station or because I was on my way to break.
That was one of the best things about Huntington, though we did our best to follow protocol and remain legal, we were always given the chance to explain ourselves if things got a little chaotic. A lot of hospitals stuck to their rules, patients be damned.
Two hours later, I was clocking out, the weight of my feet dragging me down, and I couldn’t wait to get home and take a hot bath to soothe my aching muscles.
I really did need a million-dollar spa day.
Chapter 3
Leonardo~
I watched as Luca pushed the ashtray on my desk around in a circle. There was nothing special about it, other than its significance, and I imagined that’s why Luca was fucking with it.
“At least, put it some place where it’s not tempting,” he suggested dryly.
“The man is our most prolific killer ever and he’s married to Frankie Mancini. If ever there was a man who needed a cigarette every now and again, it’s Phoenix,” I pointed out.
Luca could only smirk in agreement because he knew I was right. Even though Phoenix was trying to quit smoking, he still carried a pack on him. “Just don’t let him hear you referring to Francesca as a Mancini,” Luca advised. “He’ll lose his shit.” Luca was the only person who called Frankie Francesca. I’ve never heard him refer to her as anything else, even when we were little.
I rolled my eyes. “You guys and your wives,” I muttered.
Luca grinned, something he didn’t do very often. At least, not in public or around me. Still, it quickly evaporated as he leaned forward in his seat. While Luca was the Boss, we were at my house, in my office, and I was the one sitting behind the desk. Though, that didn’t mean much. Luca might like me slightly more than he liked Sal, but he’d still put a bullet in my head if I fucked with him.
“Speaking of wives,” he drawled out. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Our mother still lived in the house she had shared with our father. Though it’s been a year and Luca still used the house for meetings, Carlita was very rarely seen around.
When I had broken the news to her about Gio’s death, she had broken down and had grieved her husband like a good wife. I wasn’t sure what their story was, but I had to imagine she had loved him to some extent, but who knows. We’d never been privy to what happened behind their closed doors. All we knew was that Gio did the ordering and Mom did the obeying.
Immediately after we had dropped dirt on Gio’s casket, Mom had been quick to ask if Luca was going to throw her out on the street and I didn’t blame her. Though Luca loved her in that detached she’s-my-mother kind of way, she had allowed Gio to beat the man with no regard to him being her firstborn son. She had never protected him, so it was reasonable to assume he wasn’t obligated to protect her now.
However, I couldn’t see Remy letting Luca throw Mom to the wolves. Robbie didn’t know enough to have an opinion and I knew Frankie would love to see her rot in Hell, but Remy was always trying to save Luca’s soul, if even just a little bit. I didn’t think it was working, though, because Mom still wasn’t invited to any family holiday occasions and he refused to let her around Vincent or Mattia. Frankie’s and Ciro’s children were off limits to her.
So, for the past year, it’s been me and Sal checking up on her and making sure she was okay and had everything she needed. With Sal making sure she was safe and me making sure she had enough money to support herself, Carlita Benetti was doing just fine.
Until recently.
“She’s been withdrawing large sums of money recently from her personal account,” I told him. I paid her standard monthly bills from my own money, but Mom had her own personal bank account that had been filled to the brim with Gio’s life insurance money. And though it was her own personal account, I had access to it since I was the one who had set it up for her. I monitored it along with every other Benetti dime in the organization.
“How recently?” Luca asked.
“The first withdrawal was six weeks ago,” I told him. “Three more since then, no specific amount or date of withdrawal.”
“Donato is on her, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” Donato was Mom’s guard and he’s been with her for years.
“What does he have to say about her movements?”
That was the thing about Luca; he expected us to have all our research completed before approaching him with something, even if that something was our mother. He didn’t ask if I’ve spoken with Donato yet, he asked what I knew, presuming I’d have already conducted all the preliminaries. Luca was a busy man, and he didn’t like having his time wasted with ‘I don’t knows’ and ‘I’m not sures’.
“He said she’s started hanging out with a new woman she met at the hairdresser’s, but that’s the only thing that’s changed in her routine,” I told him. Sliding the file that I had on Ada Brentwood across my desk, I watched as Luca reached out to look through it. “Donato said the trips to the bank are always just the two of them and he hadn’t thought nothing of it since Ma’s money wasn’t any of his business.”
Still sifting through the file, Luca asked, “How large are the withdrawals?”
“The first one was only five, so I didn’t think anything of it because it was such a small amount,” I answered. “But as they started to increase, I got suspicious. The last one was twenty.”
Luca’s black eyes shot upward. “And what did Carlita say when you asked her why she withdrew twenty-thousand dollars?”
I leaned back in my chair. “She said she was investing in a new business venture.”
Luca straightened his back. “Sal?”
I grabbed the other folder on my desk that Sal had put together for me and slid it towards Luca, who picked it up and opened it. “Mrs. Ada Brentwood has a nephew, Carmine Brentwood, who has brilliant business ideas all the time.” I tilted my head towards the folder Luca had open. “By all accounts, Mrs. Ada Brentwood is just as clueless as Ma. She really believes her nephew is doing good things, so she convinced Ma to invest.”
“What do we know about Carmine Brentwood?” he asked, his eyes back to skimming through Carmine’s file.
“Forty-two with three marriages under his belt,” I started. “His parents are long dead, and Aunt Ada spoiled the fuck out of him when he was younger, having never had children herself. When his parents died several years ago, he started sponging off his aunt. He’s a car salesman when he is holding down a job, but that hasn’t been often since his parents’ deaths.” I leaned back in my chair again. “Carmine Brentwood likes to abuse his aunt’s generosity and he likes taking advantage of unsuspecting women.”
“Children?”
“Not a one. None of his marriages lasted long enough for him to reproduce.” I chuckled. “The women he married weren’t as stupid as he had hoped, and they had divorced him as soon as his true colors started showing.” Luca stood up and placed the folders back on my desk.
I sat back as I watched my brother pace my home office. With all our legitimate businesses being on the up and up, we had an official office building located on the north side of Morgan City, but we very rarely frequented i
t. We all mostly worked from home. It was safer that way.
When Luca came to a stop in front of my desk, he said, “It doesn’t matter if he didn’t know he was fleecing a Benetti. All that matters is that he did.”
I nodded. “I figured that’s how you’d see it.”
“Put Sal on it,” he ordered. “After all, Benetti betrayers are his specialty.”
I nodded again. “What about Mrs. Ada Brentwood?”
Luca’s obsidian eyes narrowed in thought. “Are you positive she wasn’t in on it?”
“Sal’s positive she’s not in on it,” I answered. “Her financial records show her being practically wiped out by the asshole, herself.” And while I believed it, too, based on the report Sal had put together, it really didn’t matter. If Luca wanted her dealt with, Sal would do it.
Where Ciro was a master in the craft of torture, he didn’t relish killing females. If Ciro killed a woman, it was because she was no longer human in his eyes, so he didn’t mind. Sal, on the other hand, wasn’t bothered by killing women. The only moral compass we had within the organization was that we didn’t kill children. No matter what, if you were not eighteen, you were safe from us. But then everyone turned eighteen eventually.
“Get rid of him but make sure Mrs. Brentwood receives a generous life insurance windfall for the sonofabitch,” Luca instructed. “If he’s been taking advantage of her all these years, then it needs to be made right once we get rid of him.”
I nodded again. “Will do.”
Satisfied, Luca went to leave and attend to the million other things the man had going on. However, when he reached the doorway, he turned as said, “And tell Carlita that the next time she wants to invest in a business to call you and let you do it for her.”
I smirked. “I already did, Luca.”
He arched a black brow. “And what did she say?”
“She accused me of accusing her of being stupid,” I grumbled. “She also made it a point to tell me she can do whatever the hell she wanted with her money.”
The Bishop (The Holy Trinity Duet Book 1) Page 2
